Life Excerpts of Sirius Black
by BookWretched
Summary: A Sirius Black fanfiction all about various experiences throughout his life from a narrator's perspective.
1. Chapter 1

**Note from the Author: **_Hi there, thanks for taking the time to read this. This is rated T just to be safe. I love all of the Harry Potter books and Sirius Black was one of my favourite characters. I'm was a little upset that we got to read so little about him, so I gave a narrative of his experiences a shot and I tried to do him justice. Please note that these are not my characters, they belong to J.K Rowling, the author of the original work. This is my first fanfiction, so please read it and review. Criticism is welcome!_

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><p><span><strong>CHAPTER 1<strong>

Sirius Black drove down the quiet muggle street, a few more hours and he would be able to fly under the cover of darkness. He would be flying already if it weren't for the fact that he was trying to stay in hiding for the present. A front page picture of him on his flying motorcycle in the muggle newspaper wouldn't exactly help keep the death eaters off his trail.

The street was eerily quiet which meant that Sirius didn't really have to concentrate on the road. He felt the wind fiercely blowing his dark hair back and saw the slowly sinking sun cast lengthening shadows on the ground.

Sirius was edgy. It wasn't particularly unusual for a wizard to experience a sense of foreboding when out and about these days; what with Voldemort and his minions on the loose, no one was safe. But Sirius' discomfort went beyond this. Something about the stillness in the air reminded him of the quiet before the storm and he didn't like it at all.

_They're safe_, he told himself. _Lily and James are fine. It was your idea to use Peter as their secret keeper, because you know Voldemort will come for you first_. _And he hasn't._

Still slightly apprehensive, but a little reassured, Sirius tightened his hands on the handlebars and leaned forward as he accelerated down the road. He was almost there.

Fifteen minutes later he cut the engine and propped his motorcycle against a wall in an alley. He reached his hand inside his coat pocket and grasped his wand before glancing anxiously down both sides of the street.

The temporary lodging and hiding place of Peter Pettigrew, one of his closest friends and also the secret keeper to Lily and James' current location, looked perfectly ordinary. It was along a quiet street, in a semi-industrial area and appeared quaint, though slightly grubby. Sirius quickly rapped on the door and waited for Peter to let him in. As the seconds ticked by, his feeling of unease grew.

The Order had arranged for Sirius to check on Peter that afternoon, to ensure that he was still safe and, unbeknown to any but Lily, James, Peter and himself, to check that he was still keeping the secret.

Sirius checked the windows. It looked completely dark inside. He was done waiting. He took out his wand, pointed it at the door and whispered "_Alohamora!" _The lock clicked open.

An icy fear had settled in the pit of his stomach. "_Lumos!" _he croaked, and the tip of his wand began to glow brightly. Sirius took a deep breath to steel himself and stepped into the dark embrace of the doorway.

The silence was deafening. He tried to listen for a sound, anything that might suggest that all was well, but there was nothing. "Wormtail!" he hissed into the inky darkness. There was no reply. One thing was certain. Peter Pettigrew was not home.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Sirius raised his wand in the gloom, so that the light reached the very edges of the dark hallway. He could see the fading wallpaper, the dusty carpet and the cobwebs in the corners. It appeared that the house hadn't been inhabited in a while. But what happened to Wormtail?

He carefully walked around the room, making sure not to make a sound or disturb anything. After careful examination, he could see nothing to explain Peter's absence, so he decided to check another part of the house.

After a cautious inspection of the rest of the house, Sirius' tension had grown to breaking point. His thoughts flashed incoherently around his head, disjointed because of his anxiety. He had found nothing in the house to suggest that Peter had been abducted, or indeed, that Peter had ever lived there at all. All the furniture was neat, though a tad dusty, and not a single item had been overturned or broken which would have suggested the presence of death eaters and signs of a struggle. The only possible conclusion would be that Wormtail had left the house intentionally, and had not been there for over a week.

_How is this possible? _Sirius thought furiously. _Unless… _

All of a sudden, Sirius' eyes widened. His face paled with fury as he realized what must have happened. Peter, one of his and James' closest friends, in control of the only thing keeping Voldemort from finding and killing the Potters, had showed his true colours by ratting them out.

_That filthy, lying, traitor! _Sirius fumed. No words he could think of were harsh enough to describe his feelings. The fury clouding his mind was unlike anything he had ever felt before. _When I get my hands on him… _he thought with grim satisfaction. But he had to think of Lily and James first, before he could think of revenge on Peter. It might not be too late to save his best friend.

Sirius sprinted out the house and into the alley where he had put his motorcycle. He climbed on, started the engine and, with an ear-splitting screeching of tires, turned around and tore off down the road.

He had to get to Godric's Hollow. It was the only thought in his head as he jammed a little silver button with his thumb. The roaring of the engine increased and with a small _pop! _Sirius Black and his motorcycle soared into the sky. Peter Pettigrew's house disappeared behind him along with the last rays of the sinking sun.

The wind streamed past him, making his eyes water and his skin numb, but Sirius couldn't feel it. He couldn't hear the sound of his engine and he couldn't see the lights of the houses far below, where oblivious muggles were trick or treating. All of his attention was focused on his compass.

Unfortunately there was a large distance still to go. He cursed under his breath as he tried to accelerate, but he was already going as fast as he could. He would have apparated if it weren't for the shields and charms that Dumbledore himself had put up around the Potter residence.

Finally, after flying through a flock of birds and narrowly avoiding a collision with an airplane, the twinkling lights of Godric's Hollow appeared on the horizon, far below. Sirius landed in a clearing amidst some trees just outside the village and cut the engine. Pale and shaking, he started to run towards the village.

He reached the village square sweaty and out of breath. He scanned the sky and noted with relief that there was no sign of the dark mark in the sky. Maybe he'd arrived in time. Then he noticed and odd, bumpy shape on the horizon. _Strange that I've never seen it before, _he thought. But then he realized with a sinking heart what it was.

As he walked up to the ruin that was all that was left of his best friend's house, he felt numb. The shock, pain, anger and grief were threatening to close in as he stared, eyes wide. He knew who had done it and that there was no possible way any of the Potters could have survived. He fell to his knees with the weight of his despair. _Gone._

Just as he was about to let loose a cry of anguish, he heard footsteps on the rubble. Quick as a flash, his senses returned. He grabbed his wand and dove behind a chunk of wall. As the sounds drew nearer, Sirius steeled his resolve. _I'll make them pay, _he thought. _For James!_

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><p><em><strong>Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!<strong> _


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

The footsteps drew nearer, and Sirius could hear that they were made by very large feet. _Maybe it's Rudolphus Lestrange, _he thought. _Now that would be a welcome reunion. _He clenched his fist around his wand and grinned manically in anticipation. 

Just as the person approaching was almost upon him, Sirius heard a very familiar sound. Someone was blowing their nose extremely loudly, and there was only one person who could imitate a foghorn with their nasal passage. Just to be sure, Sirius peered around the edge of the bricks and saw two enormous black boots and the hem of a moleskin overcoat.

Disappointment and relief flooded through him simultaneously as he stood up with shaking legs.

He heard a yell and a crunch as one large boot went through the charred remains of a wooden chest.

"Sirius!" said Hagrid, clutching a dustbin-lid-sized hand to his heart. "I almos' jumped outta my skin! I reckon yeh heard then? Lily an' James…" he trailed off and gave a massive sob. He pulled out an enormous handkerchief from one of his numerous pockets and wiped his eyes.

"What happened here?" asked Sirius. His voice shook with barely contained rage.

"He found 'em," said Hagrid, eyes filling with tears once more.

"It was Voldemort himself then?" asked Sirius, his face pale.

Hagrid cringed at the sound of his name, but nodded. "On'y You-Know-Who 'imself coulda done it. It takes some dark magic ter destroy a house like this," said Hagrid, glancing furtively around. The tears in his beetle black eyes shone in the dim light.

Sirius bowed his head. _It's all my fault, _he thought, uncontrollable grief welling up inside. He suddenly pictured James, head thrown back with laughter, his eyes shining with mirth and love as he looked over at Lily. _Gone. _He let out a small sound like a strangled sob.

Hagrid reached out and awkwardly patted his shoulder. "There, there," he mumbled, "everything will be alrigh'."

Sirius looked up at him. "How could you believe that? This isn't going to make anything better!" he whispered, his voice full of tortured anguish.

"Dumbledore certainly thinks it will. Sent me 'ere ter fetch Harry."

At this, Sirius looked up. "Harry's alive?" he asked, incredulously.

"Yep," replied Hagrid. "You-Know-Who tried ter kill'im, but it didn' work. His spell rebounded an' folks are sayin' he's gone fer good."

A small spark of hope flickered in the dark despair in Sirius' mind, holding it at bay. His godchild survived? But how was that possible? Harry was only a year old, practically a baby. How had he survived Voldemort's wrath when so many talented, fully trained wizards had perished?

Wordlessly, Hagrid reached into his coat and brought out a wriggling bundle. He passed the baby to Sirius. Sirius folded his arms around his godchild, gazing at his peaceful face. There was a nasty gash on his forehead shaped like a lightning bolt, no doubt a souvenir of Voldemort's curse. Just then, Harry opened his eyes and looked intently at his godfather. His green eyes, just like Lily's, danced with childlike joy as he reached up a pudgy hand and grasped a handful of Sirius' hair in his little fist.

"I'm his godfather," said Sirius, keeping his eyes on Harry's face. "I can look after him, if you'll let me. I know it's what James would have wanted." His voice cracked on the past tense.

"I'm sorry," said Hagrid gently. "Professor Dumbledore tol' me ter take 'im ter his aunt an' uncle. He'll be safe there."

Reluctantly, Sirius put Harry back into Hagrid's outstretched arms. Then he had an idea.

"You can take my motorcycle," said Sirius. "Use it to take him to his aunt and uncle, it'll be far faster than if you took the Knight Bus, and not to mention safer."

Hagrid accepted gratefully and Sirius walked with him back to the clearing where he'd left his bike. With a bone-crushing hug and a wave, Hagrid roared off into the night sky with Harry tucked safely in his cloak. Sirius watched them go. Alone with the trees, he fell to the ground and hunched over, shoulders shaking with barely audible sobs.

Suddenly there was a rustling in a nearby bush, he grabbed his wand and pointed it at the source of the sound. Just as he was getting ready to shout _Stupefy! _A brown, furry head poked through the leaves, its majestic antlers shining softly in the moonlight.

Sirius sat and watched the stag until it wandered off and he was once more alone with his pain.

**_Thanks for reading! Criticism welcome!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

James and Lily Potter were standing a small distance away, talking and laughing. Sirius couldn't hear what they were saying and he couldn't seem to move his legs to walk over to them either. "James, Lily!" he called. He was so glad to see them. But at the sound of his voice, James turned to face him and his smile vanished. "It's your fault, Sirius," he whispered accusingly. Sirius woke up in the clearing with James' words still resounding painfully in his mind.

He felt numb and hollow, like someone had bleached his brain. He remembered what had happened, but it refused to sink in. His thoughts were strangely fuzzy and he watched himself stand up and look around as though he were outside his body.

His feet felt like lead as he stumbled back to the rubble that was all that was left of the Potter residence. He stood at the edge, looking around without seeing for what seemed like hours. He was attracting quite a few suspicious stares, but he didn't notice. He just stood and stared in disbelief.

He wondered idly what it had been like, how it had all happened. Knowing James as he did, if he hadn't played the hero right up to the moment of his death, then Sirius had been head boy. He would have stood his ground and fought his heart out, he would have tried to keep Voldemort occupied so that Lily would have time to grab Harry and flee to safety. And Lily would have tried to protect Harry at all costs. He hoped fervently that their deaths had been quick and painless.

Without realizing it, while he was musing, Sirius had walked over to the remains of Harry's bedroom. Some patches of the blue wallpaper were still visible on the chunks of charred brick that littered the ground. He looked at the crib and blankets that surprisingly looked to show the least amount of damage out of the whole house. This must be where Hagrid had found Harry last night.

Sirius took a step closer, as if to reach out and touch the blankets. A crunching sound beneath his foot caused him to look down. There, in the dust and debris, lay a clump of burned twigs. A splintered wooden stick protruded from one end. Sirius recognized it, with a dull ache, as the toy broomstick he had given Harry for his first birthday, just three months ago.

Somehow, staring at that sad, broken broomstick cleared his head. A thought suddenly occurred to him. Harry was an orphan now, he would never know his parents. They wouldn't be there for his first day of school, his birthdays or his wedding day. The injustice of it hit Sirius like a stunning spell. A wave of fury, white hot and boiling, swept through his body, renewing his energy and sharpening his mind. He knew what he had to do.

He turned away and walked back toward the clearing where he had arrived the previous night. He needed a quiet place where he could think and hide from the looks he was attracting from various witches and wizards who had come to Godric's Hollow to pay homage to the Potters. _Honestly, _thought Sirius, _the looks on their faces, you'd think I've offended their ancestors. _But something about the glares shot his way that were rapidly increasing in accusation caused Sirius to pick up his pace.

Finally, in the quiet confines of the clearing, Sirius paced up and down, his mind racing. The biggest question was, what next? He had lost his two closest friends to an evil, power crazed wizard. Thankfully Harry had seen to it that Voldemort got what was coming to him, though Sirius had no idea how he had done it. This meant that there was one less person for Sirius to deal with.

He knew that he himself had to accept a large portion of blame; he had believed that Wormtail was far too cowardly and stupid to be the spy within the Order and had instead suspected Remus Lupin, one of his other close friends. It was also his own fault that Peter had had the power to turn the Potters over to Voldemort. After all, it was Sirius who had come up with the idea to make Peter their secret keeper rather than himself, believing it to be a cunning double-bluff at the time. But Sirius could not afford to go to pieces with guilt and grief. He owed it to Harry to catch the person responsible for his parent's deaths.

Could he go to the Order? Tell them the whole story about Peter and ask for their help? But then Sirius remembered something that sank into his heart like a stone. Everyone else still believed that he had been the Potter's secret keeper.

Even as he stood there, the Order might be discussing how Sirius Black must have been one of Voldemort's followers all along; how as soon as he had had the opportunity, he went running off to his master like a loyal servant, eager to betray his best friend. They would take this as solid evidence that he was a death eater. The Ministry would search for him and he would be sent to Azkaban. Nobody would believe him without proof and the only other living person who knew it was Peter Pettigrew.

This revelation decided it for him. He would hunt Wormtail down. He would stop at nothing. He would bring that traitorous rat to justice, not only to clear his own name, but so that the filthy fiend could think about what he had done for the rest of his life in torment, as his mind slowly seeped away in his cell in Azkaban.

The thought brought a smile to Sirius' face. _Wormtail, old friend, _he thought as his grin widened, _no place will be safe. I will find you, and when I do, you'll wish you'd never been born. _

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	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

For the next few days, Sirius stayed in the form of his animagus; a huge, black, bearlike dog. He couldn't risk appearing as his human self this close to a wizarding community, he had no idea if the ministry had already started searching for him and he refused to go to Azkaban before he found Peter.

So he lay low, staying close to the clearing that had now become something like a home to him. The majority of his waking hours were spent obsessively thinking, fuelled by a rage that consumed his grief. He thought of likely locations that Peter could be hiding and what revenge he would exact upon him when he found him, before turning him over to the ministry and clearing his name. It was only under the cover of darkness, just before he fell asleep, that Sirius' incessant planning failed to hold back the immense pain of his loss.

He knew that most of wizard kind now thought him heartless and a devoted death eater, so they would assume he had fled the scene of the crime as soon as possible and therefore, Godric's Hollow would be the last place they would expect to find him. Thus, Sirius thought it an excellent idea to remain there for the present, at least until the funeral of James and Lily that would be taking place in a few days.

He knew that attending the funeral would be extremely risky because his old friend Remus Lupin was more than likely to attend; a friend who knew all about his illegal animagus form, but there was also a slight chance that the cowardly Pettigrew would show his face. Of course, Sirius also wanted to pay his respects to his best friend and he also hoped that he would see Harry again.

And so, the day of the Potter's funeral dawned, and it could not have been more beautiful. The sky was blue with not a single cloud in sight, the air was crisp with just a hint of the coming winter and the fragrant autumn breeze rustled the piles of leaves heaped underneath the trees. The leaves were every variation of gold and orange conceivable.

Sirius awoke and, for the first time in a week, felt some measure of peace. It was still very early and not a soul was in sight, so he felt safe enough to resume his human form and wander back over to the remains of the Potter residence.

As he stood at the edge of the rubble, he noticed the early morning sunrise glinting on something half buried in the debris. Curious, he carefully picked his way across the bits of brick and splintered wood, after a quick glance around him to check that all the neighbors' curtains were still closed.

He recognized the item immediately, for he had an identical one in his travel bag back in the clearing. He thought about all the mischief he and James had planned with this as he picked up the mirror and attempted to wipe the dust off with a sleeve that was beginning to resemble something you'd see in the Hog's Head inn.

Suddenly Sirius felt the full weight of his grief, as though a shard of the mirror had splintered and lodged in his heart. He thought about the shame he would experience if James could see him now; robes disheveled and stained, unkempt hair full of leaves and twigs and his normally handsome face streaked with dirt and half hidden by the beginnings of a beard.

Sirius turned around, tucked James' mirror into his pocket and went back to the clearing to clean himself up.

Two hours later, looking much younger and significantly smarter, Sirius Black strode back into the clearing. He had broken into a nearby muggle residence whose inhabitants were clearly on holiday, shaved, bathed, eaten, combed his hair and cleaned his robes. As a result he felt much better. He knew it was pointless, as he would be attending the funeral as a dog and hide in the trees the whole time, but he did it anyway in order to fully pay his respects.

As he transformed, he felt the familiar prickling sensation all over his skin as he sprouted hairs, as well as the uncomfortable sensation of every bone in this body changing shape. Now in dog form, he shook himself, turned tail and loped gracefully into the village.

He found the cemetery without difficulty. It was still empty; he had made sure to arrive early so as not to run into anyone and arouse suspicion, so he selected a patch of trees where he would not be seen by the mourners. He put his front paws up against the trunk of one of the trees and looked through a gap to check that he had a clear view of the two empty, freshly dug graves.

Then he lay down with his great, black head on his front paws and waited.

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><p><strong><em>Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!<em>**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

The mourners arrived gradually in small groups. Sirius spotted most of the remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix, a handful of their old teachers and even the minister of magic himself. Everyone stood around looking sad and a tad awkward, though nobody managed to look quite as awkward as the blonde, bony woman who bore a striking resemblance to a horse and was standing as far away from everyone as possible. From the terrified glances she was giving to all the other guests and the black dress she was wearing, Sirius deduced that she was Lily's muggle sister.

Overall, quite a large crowd had gathered in the small cemetery. The dim chatter died down and people turned to watch the coffins being brought in. One coffin, which Sirius assumed was James', floated along trailed by a very sombre looking Remus, his wand raised. Lily's coffin was carried in by Hagrid whose face was streaming with tears, for the job required both his hands and he was therefore unable to reach his spotty handkerchief. Last came Albus Dumbledore, his grey hair streaked with white that looked silver in the weak sunlight, contrasting with his plain robes of black.

Remus and Hagrid placed the coffins gently before the crowd and then turned around to join them. Hagrid stood near the back, howling, next to Mad Eye and a pale looking Slughorn, while Remus quietly joined the front row next to Frank and Alice Longbottom. As he did so, Sirius saw his eyes glance at the exact spot he was hiding and for a fraction of a second, their eyes met. He slunk deeper into the underbrush while Lupin's eyes widened, but then he shook his head and returned his attention to the front, where the minister was welcoming them all. He made a dry speech about the Potter's being heroes that nobody really paid attention to and then sat down. Then Dumbledore stood up.

"Friends," he said in a voice that rang out through the quiet air, "as you know, I am the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where Lily, James and a few of you attended school. I am sure that the Potters would have been touched to see so many of their closest friends here today."

At this point, he looked over his half-moon spectacles with twinkling blue eyes directly at Petunia, who sniffed and looked away hurriedly

"I have been privileged enough to have known Lily and James for most of their lives," he continued. "They were both brave, kind and intelligent pupils, though James preferred to spend his time at Hogwarts a little more, er, actively."

There was a rumble of scattered chuckles and Hagrid blew his nose loudly.

"However, if I were to recount all of his exploits and the resulting detentions, we'd be here for a while."

More laughter from the crowd and even Sirius let out an odd snuffling sound like soft laughter from his sanctuary amidst the trees. He had been James' accomplice and even instigator of many of "James' exploits" and so had shared in the majority of his detentions.

"And Lily," continued Dumbledore, "was an exemplary student from her very first year. Though she was muggle born, she triumphed over those prejudiced against her by coming top in almost all of her classes. I appointed James and Lily head boy and girl in their seventh year. Many people thought I'd gone round the bend."

His lips twitched upwards into a smile that was reflected by several people in the audience.

"They left Hogwarts and got married, but their talent, bravery and mutual loathing of the Dark Arts led them to fight against Lord Voldemort." He paused, to allow them all time to shudder.

"Most of the wizarding world," Dumbledore went on, "is celebrating as we speak. After all, it is due to the incredible bravery and sacrifice of James and Lily that we all have cause to celebrate. We should not sit here mourning their demise, but exalt them for the heroism they displayed."

There were a few nods. Dumbledore raised his wand in the air and sent up a shower of beautiful golden sparks. "To Lily and James Potter," he said simply, and then sat down.

Sirius had been so engrossed in Dumbledore's speech that he had failed to notice that he was not the only one attending the funeral in secret. As his thoughts returned to his surroundings, he noticed a tall, skinny figure close by. He let out a growl as he recognised the greasy curtains of black hair, sallow face and large hooked nose of Severus Snape.

_What is Snivellus doing at James' funeral? _thought Sirius angrily.

In fact he was so indignant that he almost missed Frank Longbottom turning to Remus and asking him in a low voice where Peter was. But, at the sound of the coward's name, Sirius' ears pricked up and he was paying full attention to Lupin reply, "Oh yes, he sent me an owl yesterday saying that he couldn't make it. I think that this has hit him quite hard, we were close friends with Sirius."

"Is he staying far from here?" asked Alice in a worried voice. Her kind-hearted nature had caused her to be protective of Peter since their Hogwarts days.

_Not that he'd needed it, _thought Sirius bitterly.

"From what I can gather, he seems to be staying in London. I think he wants to keep as close to the ministry as possible. It's highly unlikely that Sirius would venture right under the ministry's nose," said Lupin grimly.

There was short silence. Then Frank said, "Couldn't he have been acting under the imperious curse?"

"No, I don't think so. Sirius has always been strong willed," Lupin replied with a ghost of a smile. "The only way he would've betrayed James was if he wanted to do it."

Sirius could no longer stand it. He turned tail and ran deeper into the trees surrounding the cemetery. He knew that everyone now considered him a traitor, but somehow hearing Lupin talking about him had really brought reality home.

He turned back into his human self and thought over what he had heard.

_So, hoping the ministry will protect you then Wormtail? _thought Sirius with a smug smile _I was always crap at Divination, but I'd say your future's looking pretty grim._

Back at the funeral, people were busy showering handfuls of soil into the graves. Nobody heard the muffled _Crack! _that almost sounded like someone had just apparated.

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